Thomas J. Tweedy is seeking re-election to his third term as Floral Park trustee, running on the Citizen's Party ticket along with Trustee James E. Rhatigan. Former Mayor Ann Corbett appointed him trustee back in 2001. He is a lifelong resident and a 25-year homeowner and taxpayer in the West End. He and his wife, MaryAnn, have two children: Michael, a junior at St. John's University, and Caitlin, a freshman at Boston College. Trustee Tweedy graduated from Our Lady of Victory School, Xavier High School and Boston College.

Following a family tradition, Trustee Tweedy settled into the construction field; first as a site superintendent, later as a project manager. Presently, he is a principal in Edwin S. Tweedy, Inc., a member of the Floral Park Chamber of Commerce and a Floral Park-based, family-owned general construction management firm.

"The single most significant challenge facing Floral Park today" is how Trustee Tweedy describes the MTA/LIRR Third Track Project. He serves as chairman of the Floral Park Third Track Task Force, which has been at the forefront in community opposition of the project. He has worked along with other elected representatives serving the communities from eastern Queens through the heart of central Nassau County. He testified on the record at the public scoping hearings and has participated in the planning meetings, press conferences and public forums, advocating, wherever and whenever, against the construction of an additional track.

Given his experience, Trustee Tweedy said he understands the logistical and legal nightmare this project would present: eminent domain proceedings (the taking of private property), on-grade runaround tracks during construction, infrastructure and business interruption and the constant flow of materials and workers that must be moved on local roads to get to the tracks.

"Obviously Floral Park has many attractive resources the LIRR would like to exploit for such a project," he said. "We have readily available north-south access for trucking materials and attractive publicly available parking which laborers will no doubt want to use to park their cars here. These construction workers and materials must then be shuttled to work areas along the proposed 11.5-mile construction zone. We will bear an unfair burden of this multi-year construction Megaproject, including its noise and interruptions, while deriving none of the benefits. Floral Park will change in incalculable ways if this Megaproject goes forward as currently proposed." That is why Trustee Tweedy said he, Trustee Rhatigan, the village board and the entire CARE Coalition have worked so hard on behalf of the residents of Floral Park.

Presently Trustee Tweedy serves as Floral Park recreation commissioner and liaison to the Recreation and Pool Committees overseeing the greatest expansion of recreation options in the village's history. The new recreation pool building is host to fully enrolled programs for residents from 3-93. Trustee Tweedy helped return full contact football to the recreation center. The Titans Football program previously never had a field to call its own home. He worked with Floral Park Little League and Recreation Superintendent Kurt Meyfohrt to allow the Floral Park Memorial varsity baseball team the opportunity to play at the recreation center and enjoy the thrill of supportive hometown crowds.

Trustee Tweedy has also served the village as fire commissioner. While in this capacity, the board of trustees approved the Floral Park Fire Department's Alert Company's acquisition of its new state-of-the-art 1,500-gallon engine. Just within this last year, Trustee Tweedy, along with other members of the board, unanimously voted for holding the referendum election granting additional service awards for fire department volunteers, which was overwhelmingly approved by Floral Park voters. Serving as fire commissioner alongside the village's all-volunteer fire department has been one of the highlights of Trustee Tweedy's tenure to date. "Witnessing and experiencing the work and training of these uniquely dedicated volunteers was amazing," he said after training at the Bethpage Fire Academy with the department.

He served as library commissioner and presently serves on the Capital Planning Committee. He also serves as liaison to the Substance Abuse Education Committee. Further, he has also served as liaison to Citizens with Disabilities Committee, New Residents Committee, Council of Cultural Affairs and 4 Village Studio.

His community activities include nine years as a board member and officer of the West End Civic Association, serving as president in 1992-1993. For eight years, he managed Little League teams, tournament teams and summer baseball teams. He served on the Floral Park Indians Athletic Club as a director and officer. He was a certified basketball official and donated his time as a referee to Our Lady of Victory, Floral Park Memorial and the Floral Park Indians. Trustee Tweedy is a former member of the Floral Park Recreation Committee and the Floral Park Architectural Review Committee. Further, he was a member of the Citizen's Party executive board for 10 years, serving as captain, vice chairman of the West End and chairman of the party for two terms.

Trustee Tweedy's family has deep roots in Floral Park. Two of his brothers and his sister are homeowners with families in Floral Park. His father, Jim, still lives on Floral Parkway and has resided in Floral Park for over 50 years. Trustee Tweedy said his late mother, Anne, instilled the importance of volunteerism and service to one's community as a responsibility and a privilege.

"Working with such dedicated and caring residents has been a rare privilege," he said. "I am overwhelmed and humbled by so many talented people who volunteer and serve our village in so many different ways. Floral Park is a wonderful place and I will earnestly continue to work with and serve the residents of Floral Park as your trustee."

James E. Rhatigan is seeking election to a two-year term as Floral Park trustee, running on the Citizen's Party ticket with Trustee Thomas Tweedy. He currently serves as Floral Park trustee - representing the South Side section of the village - having been appointed by Mayor Phil Guarnieri to complete the mayor's unexpired term.

As a member of Floral Park's board of trustees, Trustee Rhatigan serves as the commissioner of the Floral Park Library and as a member of the Capital Planning Committee. He is the village board liaison to the Heritage Park Committee, Beautification Committee, Conservation Advisory Council and the Citizens with Disabilities Committee.

Prior to becoming trustee, Trustee Rhatigan served as a volunteer member of a number of village committees, including the Residents Orientation Committee, the Ad-Hoc Pool Building Committee and the Grievance Board.

He has taken an active role in opposing the MTA/LIRR's Third Track Project. He testified at the formal scoping hearings and has participated in numerous planning sessions and public forums. He most recently spoke at the LIRR Commuters Council Annual President's Forum at MTA headquarters in Manhattan. At such forums, Trustee Rhatigan has advocated on behalf of his Floral Park constituents and has consistently expressed his views on the public record and his concerns regarding the potential negative effects this project will have on the residential and business communities of Floral Park.

Born in Brooklyn, he grew up in Queens Village. He and his wife, Pat, are homeowners and taxpayers of Floral Park for over 25 years. They are the proud parents of three daughters: Kathleen, a masters of occupational therapy candidate at Touro College; Elizabeth, a junior at the College of the Holy Cross and presently studying overseas in St. Andrews, Scotland; and Margaret, a junior at Sacred Heart Academy.

Before becoming a Floral Park homeowner, Trustee Rhatigan's lifelong commitment to active community service initially took root in Queens Village. He served as an EMT for the Queens Village-Hollis-Bellerose Volunteer Ambulance Corps (QVHBVAC). In addition to serving as a volunteer EMT for the QVHBVAC, he was also a member of its board of directors and acted as its treasurer. He believes this background provides him with valuable personal experience when considering the many emergency and community safety issues the board of trustees regularly encounters.

Trustee Rhatigan believes he is well qualified to represent his neighbors in Floral Park's South Side area, having been a long time member as well as elected president of the South Side Civic Association. He has also demonstrated his active commitment to civic involvement, having served 12 years in the Citizen's Party as a captain, vice chairman and two years as chairman. He has also served the youth of the community, having been a soccer coach for the Floral Park Indians Athletics and manager of softball teams for the Floral Park Little League.

One of his greatest services to his community has been through his activities, he said, as an active and involved member of the Knights of Columbus. He served as one of its local community leaders and is a past grand knight of Floral Park Council #2345 and a former district deputy of the 16th and 17th New York districts. He has served two terms as Knights of Columbus Nassau County membership coordinator and was coordinator of the New York State Council Pilgrimage to the Our Lady of the Island Shrine in 2004 and 2005. Currently, Trustee Rhatigan serves as treasurer for the Nassau County Conference of the Knights and additionally serves as a training facilitator for the New York State Council.

Professionally, he is a benefits coordinator at Donald J. Fager and Associates, Inc, a New York-based provider of insurance services to the health professions. He holds a Certified Employee Benefits Specialist (CEBS) designation. Trustee Rhatigan believes this professional background provides him with valuable personal experience when the board of trustees considers the many employee relations and benefit issues.

Further, he believes his decades long commitment to his community and his neighbors "demonstrates a sustained and proven track record upon which his neighbors can trust."

Alissa Amato is seeking election to a two-year term as Floral Park trustee, running on the Unity Party ticket. She is a licensed attorney in New York and New Jersey. She is currently working as an attorney in Nassau County. While attending law school, she worked for the Nassau County Legislature writing ordinances, resolutions and local laws. She was also a summer intern with the Town of North Hempstead where she made recommendations for improvements to update the Town Code and drafted various motions on behalf of the Town of North Hempstead.

Amato is a member of American Bar Association, New York State Bar Association, New York State Women's Bar Association, Nassau County Bar Association and the Nassau County Women's Bar Association.

Amato believes she has the experience, dedication and leadership abilities to make an effective and qualified trustee.

Amato is a graduate of Floral Park Memorial High School. After graduating with her Regents' diploma, she attended St. John's University where she received a BA in government and politics, minor in philosophy, summa cum laude, an MA in international relations, summa cum laude, and her Juris Doctorate.

While attending St. John's University School of Law, Amato was a member of Moot Court Honor Society and was named one of the Top 8 oralists in the Fall 2004 Moot Court Internal Competition and was semi-finalist in the Frank S. Polestino Trial Advocacy Institute Internal Competition. She also served as the Student Bar Association vice president of academics and was published in the Admiralty Law Practicum.

As an undergraduate at St. John's University, she served as the first woman president elected in over 10 years and served approximately 12,000 students as president of Student Government Incorporated. Her duties were to manage a budget of $1.2 million and direct a corporation of more than 40 members. Additionally, she served on the executive board of numerous organizations, including Panhellenic Council, WSJU Radio, as well as being an active member of Campus Ministry and Delta Phi Epsilon Sorority. In addition, she was a member of many national honor societies, including Golden Key National Honor Society and Gamma Sigma Alpha Honor Society and was on the National Dean's List.

St. John's recognized her leadership and talent and she was awarded several honors, including being named the commencement speaker at graduation. In addition, she was the recipient of the Founder's Day Award, Outstanding Student Leader Award, Gerald Fitzgerald Award in Government and Politics, Student Achievement Award, Senior Leadership Award, Father Easterly Award, Bipartisan Banquet Student Leadership Award and the Vincentian Mission Award.

Throughout her entire high school career she was closely involved with Our Lady of Victory Youth Ministry, performing over 700 hours of community service. This community service involvement enabled Amato to be named the winner of the Mayor's Citizen Award in 1996. In addition, she was a Renew 2000 team leader for Our Lady of Victory Parish.

Amato is the granddaughter of Rose and Peter Amato and Lawrence and Gloria Sica, 53-year residents in Floral Park and resides with her parents, Roxanne and Al Amato, and sister, Jaclyn Amato. She is a lifelong resident of Floral Park.